1 Postponed Project + 1 New Project = Less Stress

In some ways I'm very excited to write this post, because of the relief it brings. But there's also an element of guilt, because I owe you all an apology. Let's just start there...

You know that book I've been promoting as a "Summer 2014" release? The one that I revealed the cover for months ago, mentioned in blog posts and newsletters, and created buttons for? Well, I don't think it's actually going to end up being a summer release...

I'm sure a lot of you saw this coming. I've been extending my time table farther and farther, hoping I could keep my goal. I even started thinking that "summer" counted up until the official end of the season (September 22nd). While that may be true, that was hardly what many of you were initially expecting, and not what I had been sharing previously on social media. *sigh*

So what does this really mean?  

I'm postponing the publication of Morning Glory. Please note that I haven't entirely given up on it. I mean, we're talking about Myghal's story! And look at that cover - I have to write the book just so I can claim that gorgeous piece of art designed by Lena Goldfinch. ;)

I've been talking about this story for a long time now, so you might be curious as to why on earth I don't have the book ready yet. Here are my reasons/excuses:

• Life has been...well, life. I can and will use the excuse of my recent move, which involved moving out on my own for the first time (excluding college, since I lived on campus), starting a new full-time job (also a first!), and all the ins and outs that go along with that. The truth is, though, that I could and should have had the book done even before the move. Yes, there were freelance projects, my 6-week stint at the grocery store, family drama, etc. - so I'm not going to say it would have been easy. But I probably could have done it. Probably. 

• I haven't put as much effort as I should into the research. I've done some research, but I sometimes get bogged down by all the little things I ought to check to make sure the story is historically plausible. It's all interesting stuff, for sure, but with the range of settings and the direction I went with some characters, I've been overwhelmed. Not that I necessarily have to look up a ton of information, especially when I'm just trying to get the first draft down on paper. Still, I've been worried that I'm being a little too free with my imagination and a little too unconcerned with whether or not I'm even remotely close to accurately representing certain things, especially toward the middle of the story... 

• I think I've made a pantser error. "Pantser" is a term applied to those of us who generally write "by the seat of our pants." It's all well and good (and kind of fun!), but there are times when you sometimes miss key story elements because you're not deliberately thinking through all the aspects of the story beforehand. I realized this when I glanced through the post shared on Seekerville last night: "Troubleshooting Tips for Problem Plots." It hit me that I've been writing Morning Glory almost entirely as a "reaction" - I can't really identify my characters' clear, pressing goals. It's more like I'm throwing issue after issue at them and then forcing them to react. No wonder I feel adrift in the middle of the plot here... I have nothing really pushing my characters or the plot forward beyond a vague idea of where I want the story to end. The bottom line: I love these characters. I love certain plot elements. But I think I would need to go back to the drawing board in order to fix the overarching plot. This would/will probably take a good deal of time, especially since I haven't even finished a full draft yet... 

• My attention and passion have been consumed by a new project. Yes, I've been distracted by a shiny idea that's been in my peripheral vision since last fall. I've known that because of where I am in life, I'd want to work on it sooner rather than later. Ideas have been slowly trickling into my mind during the last couple of months, and with the upcoming cover reveal (this Saturday, August 9th, hosted at Seasons of Humility!) - which forced me to finally come up with a back-cover blurb - I've been completely swept away by the concept. The freedom of writing a contemporary has wooed me over to the "dark side," at least for now. ;)

To all of you who have been waiting for Morning Glory's release, please forgive me for not following through on my initial publication date goal. I'm very sorry to keep you waiting and to have gotten any hopes up by circulating the buttons with my target publication month/season. :( Like I said, I do have high hopes of publishing this at some point in the future, but I'm not ready to commit to a new target date just yet. "Ask me no questions, I'll tell you no lies," as the saying goes. (Although it's a little late for that first time around. *sigh again*) I'm not sure how big the changes to my current plot will be, but I hope to still introduce you to most/all of these new characters someday, Lord willing and passion returning...

In the meantime, I do hope you'll consider genre-jumping with me and checking out the project I *hope* to publish next, How a Star Falls (a fanciful new-adult contemporary romance novella). I've added it to Goodreads (sans cover and blurb until this weekend), so you can add it to your shelves. And do be sure to check out the cover reveal on Saturday, because Lena's cover designs never disappoint (and there's going to be a $10 Amazon.com gift card giveaway!).

Thank you all for reading and for your understanding!